Program device



May 22, 1928.

J. W. YATES PROGRAM DEVICE Filed Dec. 21, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Arm/wa m. v

May 22, 1928. 1,670,793

J. w. YATES PROGRAM DEVICE Filed Dec. 21, 1921 I 3 Sheets-Sheet WW BY I,

Patented May 22, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIG-NOR TO THE CINCINNATI TIME BE CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PROGRAM DEVICE.

Application filed December 21, 1921.

My invention relates to time controlled mechanisms which give impulses at various timed intervals as arranged on a predeter-,

mined program, hence called program devices. In the embodiment shown, the device is used for ringing a bell at desired intervals and this is the usual mode of application of program devices.

It is the object of my invention to provide a mechanism which will establish an electric circuit for a. m. and p. in. of each day of the week, for any hour of a. m. or p. m. 'of any day, and for'any minute of any hour.

In addition, it is my object to so couple this mechanism with a bell ringing unit so that the bell will ring the desired number of seconds at each operation.

With such a structure, no counterpart of which has ever come to my attention, I am able to provide for a complete automatic bell ringing system for schools according to a program laid out week by week.

The details of the bell ringing device and the timer for the duration of the bell ringing are not specifically pointed out in this specification, since the scope of my invention is broader than the ringing of the bell, and as stated, includesany system operable by an electric current which operates according to a timed program over a considerable period of time.

The above objects and other advantages to be noted, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device with the outer casing removed.

Figure 1 is a detail section of, the contact finger structure, on the line 1 1 of Figure 1.

, Figure 2 is a top plan View of the parts shown in Figure 1.

Figure-3 is a rear elevation of the device.

Figure dis a diagrammatic view of the bell ringing device and electric connections of the program member.

Referring to the illustrative embodiment o'fmy invention shown in the drawings, the framework is generally designated at 1, same providing in its members the journals for the various shafts. The operation of the to pass the said finger thereon,

Serial No. 523,899.

clock or timing parts is shown as an electric master clock operation, with the immediate showing comprising a solenoid 2 energized every minute, with the result of drawing toward the pole thereof an armature 3. This armature carries a pawl 4 that works hehind a guard 5, so that at each release from position against the solenoid pole, the spring 6 on the armature will thrust the pawl against the ratchet 7, accomplishing a single tooth advance thereof.

The ratchet 7 is mounted in the top plate of the frame and has a back throw preventing pawl 8. Its mounting shaft, through appropriate gearing (not shown), operates the minute shaft 9 and the hour shaft 10.

On the minute shaft is a disk 11 having calibrations for sixty minutes, and along its periphery a series of siXt', equally interspaced, threaded holes 12. In these holes are set the contact fingers 13, which comprise pointer-like arms extending beyond the periphery of the disk, and mounting screws which are set into the desired minute holes. In the drawing there is but one finger shown, same being at the zero hole.

A Weighted arm 14:, having. an angle bend at the non-weighted end, said bend terminating in a contact finger 15, is pivotally mounted on the frame. Thus on a pin 16 is swung a mounting piece 17. which supports the arm 14 and has an abutment portion 18, which engages the pin as a stop. The weight 14 pulls the arm until the support is against its stop and the finger lies in the path of the fingers mounted on the disk.

In the example shown, at every even hour, the finger on the disk will contact with the finger on the arm, and at the first minute after the hour will tip the arm sufiiciently permitting the arm to swing by gravity to its normal position.

The arm is connectedby a conductor wire 19 with the terminal :20 on the terminal plate of the device, while the machine frame itself constitutes the other electrical connection through the disk, which is grounded to the frame. The arm itself is insulated from the frame.

, The hour wheel shaft has mounted thereon a drum 21, made of two interconnected adapted 'to" fit the periphery wheels with calibrations on its outer wheel portion as at 22 for two periods of twelve hours each. The arc-shaped plates 23,. i or the drum, have mounting slots 24 along their edges, and screws 25,, engaging in interspaced holes in the peripheries o'tthe two wheel portions, serve toin'ou'nt the platesin desired positions. There are four such plates shown in the drawings, but as many can be used as is desired. y r p v The plates are slotted in this instance with four lengthwise slots 23?,which accordingly extend around the periphery of the drum, and. in these slots are held the hour contact pieces. In Figure 2 I have shown four of these contact pieces, which comprise bodies having bases '26,. fingers 27 extending radially from the drum periphery, and small mountingbolts 28, which engage the bases and pass through the slots where they're ceive ismall nuts (not shown)...

These contacts are thus Fadjustable for hours, and by placing them innthe desired posit-ion between hour marks on the" drum' face, they can be placed to correspond. with the desired minutes of the hours "that will suit the programl i For a contact finger on the minute wheel placed as the one shown, the hour contact finger to correspond with it "is placed .at theexact hour .ma'rk. For a minute finger at fifteen minutes, the hour icontact'finger will beat one quarter the hour space. The exactness eithe program can be tested out by observing the points of contact 'Ith roug hout the machine 'duringvits operation, 'as will be evident. 7 One way of. doing this testing is to hold out the solenoid armature paw l by hand, andv spin the. ratchet shaft by its 'knobbed end 29, whereupon the parts will i'evoilve rapidly and the observerrcan see ifthe" minute and" hour contacts occur near-enough.

to the identical point desired.

There are four slots in the hour drum to permit variations in tour. circuits, which may be variously used to change programs from day to day, or reach dlfferent points.

The contactarms for the hourdruin are similar to the minute wheel contact' arm.

Thus thereis the arm 30 with the bent end terminating in a Contactfinger 31; The arm is held in a supporting piece? swung from and abutting against the long pin or shaft 33. Except when interfered with, the arms will all hang "by gravity in a position to engage the'hour eontact finger in the desired slot of the drum plates.

The weights on'the arms in this instance are'insulating material formed up into disks 33 i" and the-electrical connections from the machine ground of the hour drum are wires 35 from the arms to four different teiininals 36 on the terminal'bloek ot'the machine. It

days of. the week and into a. m. and p. m.

for each day, and extending lengthwise oi the drum areseries-of .fourholeseaoh, as at ll, for each a. n. and p. in. subdivision, permitting tour circuits to opera-teat once, or four different programs oi -different days.

"he insulating material weights on'ithe hour contact arms rest on this' drum, andthe placingyoi. pins 41 in the holes will re suit in raising them up tor the-desired a. or p. m. ot the desired'day of. the week. When raised up, theconta'ct fingers 1D the arms will lie out et the path of; the fingers on the hour drum. g

As -so constructed, the clockwork moves the minute wheel's around once every hour,

the drum around once every twenty-four hours, and the days of the weekdrum one notch every twelve hours, and completely around every week. The number :iiouri tor the-circuits may be multiplied to any eX ent by adding on holes-to the rows on the one;

tact finger will be placed in the hour drum at fifteen minutes past eightoclock for that twelve hour section oi the, drum that moves past the day ofrth e week d r um dun ing the time when a. m. is uppermost. .lio

pin is placed in the a. m. period-of Monday on the week drum, and the placing ofwt'he contact finger on the hourd-rum need not be perfectly;accurate, since this drum motes so much slower than the minutedrunixtliat contact will be maintained through several minutes. In the present machine, about four minutes of contact'is maintaincd by the hour drum. To movefthe contact, liiigers on the hour drum rapidly enough "to stablish and break a circuit at eachstep would requiresuch a large sized drunrfliat it would be impractical.

Now it it is-not desired to :have a bell ring at the same "time, viz," 8.15 in the a. of Tuesday, a. pin is inserted in the "weekdrum, and so on for the other days of ithe' week. Y i i Each slot in the hour drum plates and each set of holes peripherally of the -weeli wilhwork four fioors of a building, each one diiferei'itly slot of the hour ferent day slot, and so on,

1, Itwill not-ed that the object of the above mechanism is to establish electrical connections according to a predetermined program, and that the ringing of a bell is merely one method of use of said mechanism.

In the diagram, the line 50 illustrates the ground connections through the frame from the hour drum to the minute disk. The contact fingers and arms are numbered as in the mechanical description above.

From the contact for the minute wheel is a binding post 51, and from the contacts from the hour arms are binding posts 52. The post 51 is used in common with all posts 52.

To insure a ringing of the bell for fifteen seconds or other intervals of time, and thus avoiding a ringing for a full minute during which contact is maintained by the mechanism ab ve detailed, I provide a clockwork 53, which revolves a shaft 54 once every minute. Some sort of electric self-winding mechanism will be used for the clockwork 58, or an ordinary spring to be wound up once each week.

. The shaft 54 is grounded to the frame of the clock and the wire 52 from the post 52 is grounded to the same frame. The end of or the program in the second the shaft is made of insulating material, ex-

cept for one sector 55, which is of metal and connected electrically with the shaft.

The wire 51 from the binding post 51 extends through a battery 56 to one terminal of a relay 57 and a contact finger 58. which rests against the shaft 54. is connected to the other terminal of the relay.

Thus when the program device makes a contact at both hour and minute, the finger 58 will conduct a current and establish the relay circuit during the time that the metallic portion of the end of the shaft 54 is passing beneath it. While the relay is energized the electrical connections with the bell 59 will be established.

It will be understood that the use'of the terms minute, hour and a. m. and p. In. and days of the week should not constitute a limitation to my invention which could be modified to work in other designations, if desired, as for example. the cycles of a machine, the operation of a loom or the like.

My device has been used successfully for programs such as the following: A factory owner desires to have a bell system for six floors of his building, and a cafeteria in the basement. He wishes to have the workmen leave each floor at a different time in the evening, so that there is no crowding on crumm beuscd for a dif-.

of the week from that of the first at the cafeteria,

thi tairs, and so that girls do not go out with the men'pn any floor. He also wishes to have each floor called separately for lunch giving each floor one-half hour for lunch,

' e also wishes to have a different program on Saturday from any other day, both as to lunch, and as to leaving time.

The extreme complexity of arranging one device with proper clearances at timed intervals of movement of one minute each is at once apparent, yet by arranging for sufficient circuits I have used the machine above described to do such work, without any reday.

I do not wish to be limited to the mechanical parts above described. where equivalent structures could be substituted therefor, because of my failure above to call attention to the possibility of substitution of equivalents.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In a program device, the combination with a series of pivoted bell crank levers serving as contact members at one end thereof, of a clock driven drum, having a wide periphery, contact members arranged in a plurality of series in said periphery, those of one series adapted to contact with one of the bell crank levers only, and another rotary drum having adjustable means thereon, to so tip the bell crank levers that the contact members on the drum will not engage them.

2. In a program device the combination with pivoted bell crank levers serving as contact members at one end thereof, of a rotary clock driven member having contact members arranged thereon in a series of peripheral rows, those of one row adapted to contact with one of the bell crank levers only. and another rotary clock driven mem her having adjustable means thereon to so tip the bell crank levers that the contact members on the first rotary member will not engage them, and separate circuits independently connected to the bell crank levers, and having a common branch to the said first rotary member being of conductive material.

3. In a program device the combination with pivoted lever devices serving as contact members at one end thereof, of a rotary V tut to'bring the people down stairs at ten minute intervals: for each floor.

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clock driven member having'contact members so arranged thereon as to move through different paths; said paths being such that some contacts strike one lever device, and

some strike another, and another rotary clock driven member" having adjustable means thereon to so :tipthelever devices that the contact members on the first named rotary member will not engagethem and said lever devices to branch circuit, having a common branch to the first said rotary member, which member is conductive of electricity.

J AMES WV. YATES.

having circuit connections 10 

